Pili nut kernel is the most important product. When raw, it resembles the
flavor of roasted pumpkin seed, and when roasted, its mild, nutty flavor and
tender-crispy texture is superior to that of the almond. Pili kernel is also
used in chocolate, icecream, and baked goods. The edible light-yellow color
oil from the kernel is comparable in quality to that of olive oil, containing
59.6% oleic glycerides and 38.2% palmitic glycerides. The young shoots and the
fruit pulp are edible. The shoots are used in salads, and the pulp is eaten
after it is boiled and seasoned. Boiled pili pulp resembles the sweet potato
in texture, it is oily (about 12%) and is considered to have food value similar
to the avocado. Pulp oil can be extracted and used for cooking or as a
substitute for cotton seed oil in the manufacture of soap and edible products.
The stony shells are excellent fuel or as porous, inert growth medium for
orchids and anthurium.

A minor crop produced only in the Philippines. The bulk of the raw nuts are
supplied from wild stands in the mountains around Sorsogon, Albay and Camarines
Sur in the Bicol region. The average annual production between 1983-1987 was
2925 tonnes of dried nuts from an estimated 2700 ha. Pili nut has the
potential to become a major nut crop. Improvement of nd knowledge in efficient
vegetative propagation, ecological and cultural requirements of pili as a
commercial crop, and the mechanization for commercial processing are needed.

Pili is a dioecious evergreen tree up to 20 m tall with resinous wood and
resistance to wind. Leaves are compound and alternate with odd-pinnate
leaflets. Flowers are borne on cymose inflorescence at the leaf axils of young
shoots. Pollination is by insects. Flowering of pili is frequent and fruits
ripen through a prolonged period of time. The ovary contains three locules,
each with two ovules, most of the time only one ovule develops. Fruit is a
drupe, 4 to 7 cm long, 2.3 to 3.8 cm in diameter, and weight 15.7 to 45.7 g.
The skin (exocarp) is smooth, thin, shiny, and turns purplish black as the
fruit ripens: the pulp (mesocarp) is fibrous, fleshy, and greenish yellow in
color, and the hard shell (endocarp) within protects a normally dicotyledonous
embryo. The basal end of the shell (endocarp) is pointed and the apical end
is more or less blunt; between the seed and the hard shell (endocarp) is a
thin, brownish, fibrous seed coat developed from the inner layer of the
endocarp. This thin coat usually adheres tightly to the shell and/or the seed.
Much of the kernel weight is made up of the cotyledons, which are about 4.1 to
16.6% of the whole fruit; it is composed of approximately 8% carbohydrate, 11.5
to 13.9% protein, and 70% fat. Kernels from some trees may be bitter, fibrous
or have a turpentine odor.

Pili is a tropical tree preferrring deep, fertile, well-drained soil, warm
temperatures, and well distributed rainfall. It can not tolerate the slightest
frost or low temperatures. Refrigeration of seeds at 4 to 13C resulted in loss
of viability after 5 days. Seed germination is highly recalcitrant, reduced
from 98 to 19% after 12 weeks of storage at room temperature; seeds stored for
more than 137 days did not germinate. The seedlings take 40 to 50 days to
emerge; year old seedlings can be used for rootstock. Asexual propagation is
best through patch budding, which claimed to have a success rate of 85-90% in
the Philippines. Marcotting is too inconsistent to be used for propagating in
commerical production. Production standards for a mature pili tree is between
100 to 150 kg of in-shell nuts. Most of the production in the Philippines are
from seedling trees and are highly variable in kernel qualities and production.

Harvesting is from May to October, peaking in June to August, and requires
several pickings. Fruits are de-pulped, cleaned and dried to 3 - 5% moisture
(30C for 27 to 28 h). Nut in shell with a moisture content of 2.5 to 4.6% can
be stored in the shade for one year without deterioration of qualities.